Nasir al-Din al-Albani | |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | Muhamed Nasirudin Nexhati 16 August 1914 |
| Died | 2 October 1999(1999-10-02) (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Parent |
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| Era | Modern |
| Main interest(s) | |
| Notable work(s) | Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa wa al-Mawduwa,Silsalat al-Hadith as-Sahiha |
| Occupation |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Independent orZahiri |
| Creed | Athari |
| Movement | Salafi |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced by
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Influenced
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| Awards | King Faisal International Prize(in 1999) |
Muhammad Nasir al-Din[a] (bornMuhamed Nasirudin Nexhati; 16 August 1914 – 3 October 1999), commonly known asal-Albani,[b] was an Albanian Islamic hadith scholar (muhaddith), regarded as one of the prominent figures of modernSalafism.[1] He was known for his rigorous re-evaluation ofhadith literature and for rejecting adherence to traditionalschools of jurisprudence.[2] Al-Albani became a controversial yet influential reformer withinSunni Islam.
He was twice imprisoned inSyria for his teachings and later lectured at theIslamic University of Madinah at the invitation ofIbn Baz. He authored over 200 works, includingSilsalat al-Hadith al-Sahiha andSifat Salat al-Nabi. His reassessment of canonical hadiths drew both acclaim and criticism, earning him, amongSalafis, the title 'al-Bukhari of the contemporary age'
al-Albani was born on 16 August 1914 inShkodër,Albania,[2] to a family adhering to theHanafi school ofJurisprudence withinSunni Islam. His father, Nuh Nexhati, was a jurist of the Hanafi jurisprudence, trained inIstanbul.[3] Fearing the rise of secularism during the rule ofZog I, Nexhati withdrew his son from school in Albania.[4] In 1923, when al-Albani was nine years old, he and his family moved toDamascus, then under French occupation.
In Damascus, al-Albani began his religious studies under his father and several local scholars, where he was taught theQur'an and other Islamic sciences.[3] He learnedArabic at al-Is'af, a non-profit civil school, where he came to be known asal-Albani ('the Albanian') after leaving formal schooling to focus on writing.[5] He studied the renowned Hanafi textMaraqi al-Falah by al-Shurunbulali (d. 1659) under Sa'id al-Burhani[6] and also studied the bookMukhtasar al-Quduri with his native Syrian teachers.[7] During this time, he earned a modest living as a carpenter before joining his father as awatchmaker.[citation needed][8]
Despite his father's discouragement from pursuinghadith studies, al-Albani became interested in the field around the age of twenty, influenced by the Lebanese-born reformist scholarMuhammad Rashid Rida (d. 1935). Al-Albani studied under a number of scholars, including Muhammad Bahjat al-Baytar, 'Izz al-Din al-Tanoukhi, Sa'id al-Burhani, Ibn al-Baghi,[7][9][10] who collectively encouraged his growing focus on hadith. His early scholarly work included a commentary onMughni 'an haml al-asfar fi al-asfar fi takhrij ma fi al-ahya' min al-akhbar byAbd al-Rahim ibn al-Husain al-'Iraqi, which marked the beginning of al-Albani's scholarly career and brought him recognition within Damascus's religious circles.
Al-Albani began writing a series of lectures, books, and articles, some of which were published inal-Manar magazine.[8] Over time, he began teaching two weekly lessons on Islamic creed (aqidah), jurisprudence (fiqh) and Hadith, attracting students and university professors alike. He also organized preaching and advocacy trips to various cities of Syria andJordan.
In 1961, he was among many scholars invited by Saudi Arabia to teach at the newly establishedIslamic University of Madinah. In 1963, al-Albani leftSaudi Arabia due to the hostility stemming partly from his views, including his suggestion thatMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was not entirely Salafi due to his adherence toHanbali school,[11] and criticized him for exaggeration and harshness.[12] Following this, he resumed his studies and work at theZahiriyya Library in Damascus, leaving his watch shop to one of his brothers.
Al-Albani visited various countries, includingQatar,Egypt,Kuwait,Spain, and theUnited Kingdom to deliver lectures and engage in preaching. After the intervention ofGrand MuftiIbn Baz, al-Albani was invited again toSaudi Arabia to serve as the head of higher education inIslamic law inMecca.[13] He later returned to Syria, and eventually settled inJordan, where he lived for the remainder of his life.
Al-Albani was a prominent proponent ofSalafism, and is regarded as one of the foremost 20th-century figures. He criticized the four mainstream Sunni legal schools,Hanafi,Hanbali,Maliki andShafi'i, and rejected the traditional view that Muslims should performtaqlid of amadhhab (school of jurisprudence).[14][15] Instead, he spent much of his life critically re-evaluatinghadith literature, arguing that many widely accepted hadith narrations were unsound. His independent rulings often diverged from mainstream Sunni consensus.[15][16][17] On the fourth tape of hisShareet al-Khobar series, he referred to himself as belonging to theZahiri school when pressed on the matter.[18]
Al-Albani's legal and theological positions often ran counter to the wider Islamic consensus.[19] These include his opinions thatmihrabs were a religious innovation (bid'ah), and that it was permissible to pray in amosque while wearing shoes.[19] He also stated that it is prohibited for women to wear gold bracelets,[20] and his 1952 book, Hijabal-Mar'a al-Muslima fi-l-Kitab wa-l-Sunna, argued that it was permissible for a woman's face to remain uncovered.[11][21]
Most notably, he called onPalestinians to leave the occupied territories, arguing that they could not properly practice their faith there.[22][19] This stance provoked significant criticism, including from within theWahhabi movement itself.[23]
While he praisedMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab for his reformistdawah movement in theNajd, he also criticized him for what he described as "exaggeration and harshness" and for being "weak in hadith and jurisprudence".[12] Al-Albani was among the leading Salafi scholars who preached against what they considered the warped literalism of extremists. They believed that Muslims should focus on purifying their beliefs and practice and that, in time, "God would bring victory over the forces of falsehood and unbelief."[24]
Al-Albani criticized influential Islamist thinkers such asSayyid Qutb, whom he accused of theological deviation for holding the belief in theOneness of Being. Al-Albani also accusedHassan al-Banna, the leader of theMuslim Brotherhood, of not being a religious scholar and holding positions contrary to theSunnah.[25]
Al-Albani's works attracted criticism from a wide range of scholars. In the early 1970s, Syrian hadith scholarAbd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda (d. 1997) published a tract against al-Albani's re-evaluation ofSahih al-Bukhari andSahih Muslim.[26] TheEgyptian hadith scholar Mahmud Sa'id Mamduh, who studied with Abu Ghudda and 'Abdallah b. al-Siddiq al-Ghumari, wrote at least four rebuttals of al-Albani's work on different subjects. In 1987, Mamduh published a work entitledAlerting the Muslim to al-Albani's Transgression upon Sahih Muslim,[26] in which he argued that:
Indeed, I have concluded that his methods disagree with those of the jurists and hadith scholars, and that his methods are creating great disarray and evident disruption in the proofs of jurisprudence both generally and specifically. He lacks trust in the Imams of law and hadith, as well as in the rich hadith and law tradition handed down to us, in which the umma has taken great pride.[27]
The SyrianAsh'ari scholarMuhammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti, criticized al-Albani's anti-madhhab stance and his call for all Palestinians to leave the occupied territories, theWest Bank, andGaza.[28] He wrote two rebuttals of al-Albani entitledAnti-Madhabism: the Dangers of an Innovation that Threaten the Sharia andSalafiyya: a Blessed Historical Period, Not a School of Fiqh.[29] Other critics included Syrianhadith scholar Nur al-Din 'Itr,[29] LebaneseSufi scholarGibril Fouad Haddad, who called al-Albani "the chief innovator of our time,"[26] and the Jordanian theologian Hasan b. Ali al-Saqqaf, who composed a book entitledDictionary of al-Albani's Slanderings.[26]
Emad Hamdeh has described al-Albani as a prolific scholar,[30] authoring more than 200 works on hadith, jurisprudence, and creed. His notable writings includeSilsalat al-Hadith as-Sahiha,Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa wa al-Mawduwa andSifat salat al-nabi min al-takbir ila al-taslim ka-annaka taraha (Characteristics of the Prophet's prayer, from beginning to end as though you were witnessing it). Many of his articles were published inal-Manar magazine, and his teachings inspired a generation of students in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. His reassessment of canonical hadith collections such asSahih al-Bukhari andSahih Muslim sparked both praise and criticism, earning him among Salafis the epithet 'al-Bukhari of the contemporary age'.[citation needed]
| Title | Volumes | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sahih ut-Targhib wat-Tarhib | Volumes 1–4 | Re-evaluation ofAt-Targhib wat-Tarhib byAl-Mundhiri.(Link to the text) |
| At-Tasfiyah wa't-Tarbiyah wa Haajatul-Muslimeen Ilayhimaa | Based on a lectures by al-Albani. | |
| At-Tawassulu: Anwa'uhu wa Ahkamuhu | Tawassul: Its Types & Its Rulings)(link to English translation) | |
| Irwa al-Ghalil | Volumes 1–9 | Verification and commentary on book of Hanbali schoolMinār as-Sabīl by ad-Duwayyān. |
| Talkhis Ahkam al-Jana'iz | About the rules and regulations surrounding funerals in Islam. | |
| Sahih wa Da'if Sunan Abu Dawood | Volumes 1–4 | Re-evaluation of hadith collectionSunan Abi Dawud |
| Sahih wa Da'if Sunan at-Tirmidhi | Volumes 1–4 | Re-evaluation of hadith collectionSunan al-Tirmidhi |
| Sahih wa Da'if Sunan Ibn Majah | Volumes 1–4 | Re-evaluation of hadith collectionSunan ibn Majah |
| Al-Aqidah at-Tahawiyyah Sharh wa Ta'liq | Commentary onAl-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, originally authored byAbu Ja'far al-Tahawi. | |
| Sifatu Salati An-Nabiyy | Describes theProphet Muhammad's method of prayer, from beginning to end.(link to English translation) | |
| Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Daifa wa al-Mawduwa | Volumes 1–14 | Widely considered al-Albani'smagnum opus, a comprehensivehadith compilation that systematically collects, analyzes, and categorizes weak and fabricated narrations. |
| Silsalat al-Hadith as-Sahiha | Volumes 1–11 | Collection ofauthentic hadiths (as described inhadith terminology), organized into jurisprudential chapters. It discusses approximately 900 hadiths. |
| Salat ut-Tarawih | Treatise, whose full title is often cited asSalat ut-Tarawih wa Qiyam Ramadan, deals with thenight prayers inRamadan. Later an abridgment of this book was published by al-Albani –Qiyamu Ramadhan |
Among al-Albani's most well known works is his book in which he redefined the proper gestures and formula of Muslim prayer (Salah) based strictly on hadith attributed to theprophet Muhammad. His conclusions diverged from the prescriptions of all established Sunni schools of jurisprudence.[19] As he argued that several details of the traditional prayer were based on weak hadith, the book provoked considerable controversy.[10]
After decades of teaching and writing, al-Albani eventually settled in Jordan, where he continued to lecture and receive visitors. He died inAmman on 2 October 1999 at the age of 85.[8] His wife was Umm al-Fadl.[31]
The truth regarding Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb is that he has done a great favour upon the Islamic nation, but he had some level of exaggeration and harshness... Contrary to Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb – who did not have this level of care in hadith nor in Salafi fiqh
*Rabil, Robert (2014-10-24).Salafism in Lebanon: From Apoliticism to Transnational Jihadism. Georgetown University Press. p. 3.ISBN 978-1-62616-118-4.
In this way he became a self-taught expert on Islam, learning from the books rather than the ulema. One of his biographers even states that al-Albani was distinguished in religious circles by how fewijazats (certificates) he possessed.
A prolific scholar, he authored 217 books on various topics such as ḥadīth,fiqh, and creed.
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